The Hockey Dad Survival Guide

What Every Hockey Parent Learns Too Late About Youth Hockey

You're standing outside the rink, watching through the glass. Your kid is on the ice, skating in circles, doing drills. Other kids are there too. Some look bigger. Some look faster. Some look more confident.

Your stomach tightens.

This is just a tryout. It's supposed to be fun. But it doesn't feel fun. It feels like everything is on the line.

If you've ever felt that pressure—if you've ever wondered if you're doing this right, if you've ever felt overwhelmed by youth hockey—this book is for you.

Written by a hockey dad who's been there, this is a calm, honest guide to surviving youth hockey with your sanity intact, your relationships preserved, and your perspective clear.

Short chapters. Easy to read between games. Designed to be picked up and put down. If you're feeling the weight of youth hockey, this might help you feel a little less alone.

What This Book Does

This book doesn't promise outcomes. It doesn't give you shortcuts. It doesn't tell you how to get your kid to the NHL.

Instead, it helps you feel calmer, wiser, and less alone. It gives you perspective when you need it most. It helps you protect what matters: your relationship with your kid.

Written from lived experience—not theory—this book addresses the real challenges hockey parents face: tryouts, ice time, coaches, travel hockey costs, burnout, and the pressure to keep up.

It's honest. It's calm. It's grounded. And it might just help you survive youth hockey without losing yourself in the process.

What You'll Learn

• Understand tryouts without losing perspective—why they feel bigger than they are and how to keep them in check

• Reset expectations early—you're not raising a pro, and that's okay

• Navigate the car ride home without coaching—protect your relationship with your kid

• Stop overthinking ice time—why development matters more than minutes

• Work with coaches without conflict—they're human, not enemies

• Survive travel hockey financially and emotionally—set limits, say no when you need to

• Recognize when your kid stops loving it—and what to do when they do

• See through the AAA myth—labels don't determine futures

• Keep perspective at tournaments—they're just games, not life or death

• Master silence as a superpower—sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing at all

• Focus on what actually lasts after hockey—character, relationships, memories

Who This Book Is For

This book is for hockey parents who feel pressure, confusion, or quiet guilt around youth hockey. If you want perspective more than promises, care about development over labels, and want to preserve your relationship with your child above all else—this book is for you.

Who This Book Is Not For

This book is not for parents looking for shortcuts or guarantees, those chasing status or labels, or anyone expecting a coaching manual. If you're looking for a magic formula or a guarantee that your kid will play college hockey, this isn't it.

Why Kindle Unlimited Readers Love This Book

Short chapters make it easy to read between games or practices. Each chapter stands alone, so you can skip around or read one at a time. Written in a calm, conversational tone that feels like talking to a trusted friend who's been there. No hype. No preaching. Just honest perspective.

A Final Note

Youth hockey is a long road. It's expensive. It's time-consuming. It's emotional.

But it doesn't have to feel impossible.

This book won't solve everything. But it might help you feel a little less alone, a little less panicked, and a little more grounded.

If you're reading this, you already care deeply. That means you're doing a lot right.

The rest is just perspective.